White’s Wines

For years, some of America’s most prominent wine critics have bashed the grape. In Slate Magazine, Sauvignon Blanc was once described as “maddeningly dull.” Wine Enthusiast’s West Coast editor has criticized the grape for failing to elicit “profound excitement.”

Thirty-five years ago, a British wine merchant named Steven Spurrier organized a wine competition in Paris, where he pitted California’s best Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons against the best wines that France had to offer.

Navigating a wine list can be daunting. Even wine geeks are intimidated by the leather-bound tomes that so many restaurants hand out. When the wine list doesn’t land on the table with a thud, patrons are still met with unrecognizable regions and producers.

Early January is the perfect time to reflect on the previous year and make resolutions for the new one. For those of us who take wine seriously — or at least want to — it’s smart to include wine in our New Year’s resolutions. So here are three simple resolutions that’ll heighten your wine appreciation in 2012.

The gift-giving season is in full swing. For those looking to impress a wine enthusiast, it’s a daunting time. Department stores offer little that would please an oenophile, and the staff at Best Buy doesn’t know a thing about wine. The internet, meanwhile, presents too many options!